MAPPING ACTIVE AND INACTIVE CONSTRUCTION ZONES FOR AUTONOMOUS DRIVING

• US 20150355640A1
• Filed: 08/18/2015
• Published: 12/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ferguson, David I., Burnette, Donald Jason
• Granted Patent: US 9,575,490 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/20 Steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/106 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/00 Purposes of road vehicle drive control systems not related to the control of a particular sub-unit, e.g. of systems using conjoint control of vehicle sub-units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/00184 related to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 60/0053 from vehicle to occupant
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3407 specially adapted for specific applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3815 Road data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/42 Determining position
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9316 combined with communication equipment with other vehicles or with base stations
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/00 Control of position, course, altitude or attitude of land, water, air or space vehicles, e.g. using automatic pilots drive control systems specially adapted for autonomous road vehicles B60W60/00
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0236 in combination with a laser lasers per se H01S
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0246 using a video camera in combination with image processing means
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0255 using acoustic signals, e.g. ultra-sonic singals sonar systems designed for anti-collision purposes G01S15/93
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0257 using a radar radar systems designed for anti-collision purposes between land vehicles or between land vehicle and fixed obstacles G01S13/931
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0276 using signals provided by a source external to the vehicle involving a plurality of vehicles G05D1/0287; automatically controlling vehicle speed responsive to externally generated signals B60K31/0058
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/582 of traffic signs
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 : Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road

Abstract

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to differentiating between active and inactive construction zones. In one example, this may include identifying a construction object associated with a construction zone. The identified construction object may be used to map the area of the construction zone. Detailed map information may then be used to classify the activity of the construction zone. The area of the construction zone and the classification may be added to the detailed map information. Subsequent to adding the construction zone and the classification to the detailed map information, the construction object (or another construction object) may be identified. The location of the construction object may be used to identify the construction zone and classification from the detailed map information. The classification of the classification may be used to operate a vehicle having an autonomous mode.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by one or more processors, updated detailed map information identifying an area of a first construction zone and a first classification of an activity type of the first construction zone, wherein the activity type of the construction zone is classified as active when the characteristics of the construction zone indicate that there have been changes to the roadway as compared to detailed map information;

subsequent to receiving the updated detailed map information, identifying, by the one or more processors, a construction object at a given location;

identifying, by the one or more processors, an area of a second construction zone at the given location and a second classification of an activity type of the second construction zone at the given location stored in the detailed map information including the updated detailed map information; and

operating, by the one or more processor, a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode based on the second classification of an activity type of the second construction zone at the given location.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after operating the vehicle based on the classification:

reclassifying the activity type of the first construction zone; and

updating the classification of the first construction zone in the detailed map information based on the reclassifying.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein operating the vehicle based on the second classification includes determining whether to drive the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode or a manual driving mode.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the updated detailed map information identifying the first construction zone is further received with instructions for controlling the driving behaviors of the vehicle in the area of the first construction zone and wherein operating the vehicle is further based on the instructions for controlling the driving behaviors.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second construction zone is the first construction zone, and the second classification is the first classification.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending the updated classification to another vehicle.

7. A system comprising:

memory storing detailed map information

one or more processors configured to;

receive updated detailed map information identifying a first construction zone and a first classification of an activity type of the first construction zone, wherein the activity type of the construction zone is classified as active when the characteristics of the construction zone indicate that there have been changes to the roadway as compared to detailed map information;

subsequent to receiving the updated detailed map information, identify a construction object at a given location;

identify an area of a second construction zone at the given location and a second classification of an activity type of the second construction zone at the given location stored in the detailed map information including the updated detailed map information; and

operate a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode based on the second classification of an activity type of the second construction zone at the given location.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, after operating the vehicle based on the classification:

reclassify the activity type of the first construction zone; and

update the classification of the first construction zone in the detailed map information based on the reclassifying.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein operating the vehicle based on the second classification includes determining whether to drive the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode or a manual driving mode.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the updated detailed map information identifying the first construction zone is further received with instructions for controlling the driving behaviors of the vehicle in the area of the first construction zone and wherein operating the vehicle is further based on the instructions for controlling the driving behaviors.

11. The system of claim 7, wherein the first construction zone and the second construction zone are the same, and the first classification and the second classification are the same.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising the vehicle.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send the updated classification to a remote computer.

14. A non-transitory, tangible machine readable medium on which instructions are stored, the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving updated detailed map information identifying a first construction zone and a first classification of an activity type of the first construction zone, wherein the activity type of the construction zone is classified as active when the characteristics of the construction zone indicate that there have been changes to the roadway as compared to detailed map information;

subsequent to receiving the updated detailed map information, identifying a construction object at a given location;

identifying an area of a second construction zone at the given location and a second classification of an activity type of the second construction zone at the given location stored in the detailed map information including the updated detailed map information; and

operating a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode based on the second classification of an activity type of the second construction zone at the given location.

15. The medium of claim 14, wherein the method further comprises, after operating the vehicle based on the classification:

reclassifying the activity type of the first construction zone; and

updating the classification of the first construction zone in the detailed map information based on the reclassifying.

16. The medium of claim 14, wherein operating the vehicle based on the second classification includes determining whether to drive the vehicle in the autonomous driving mode or a manual driving mode.

17. The medium of claim 14, wherein the updated detailed map information identifying the first construction zone is further received with instructions for controlling the driving behaviors of the vehicle in the area of the first construction zone and wherein operating the vehicle is further based on the instructions for controlling the driving behaviors.

18. The medium of claim 14, wherein the first construction zone and the second construction zone are the same, and the first classification and the second classification are the same.

19. The medium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises sending the updated classification to a remote computer.